Zelenskyy hits back against Trump’s comments blaming Ukraine for the war with Russia
KYIV — Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday that he wants the U.S. to stop using disinformation when talking about Russia’s war on Ukraine, after President Donald Trump accused Ukraine of starting the war — a Kremlin talking point.
“I would like to see more truth from the Trump team,” Zelenskyy told reporters in Kyiv, adding that disinformation hurts Ukraine and is laying the groundwork to bring Russian President Vladimir Putin out of isolation.
Zelenskyy has spent months praising Trump and working cautiously to win him over. Wednesday’s remarks were his most pointed since Trump took office last month.
The Ukrainian leader looked exhausted but calm as he spoke to a small group of reporters in the presidential palace, which is sandbagged to protect from frequent Russian missile and drone attacks on the Ukrainian capital.
“This is not my first dialogue or battle,” he said, “and I take it calmly.”
On Tuesday, Trump also claimed — without citing evidence — that Zelenskyy’s approval was 4%. A recent public opinion poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology showed that 57% of Ukrainians trust Zelenskyy, an approval rating that is higher than Trump’s, which is currently at 44%, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll.
“We’ve seen this disinformation, we understand it comes from Russia,” Zelenskyy said. “Unfortunately, President Trump — and we have great respect for him as a leader of people we also respect very much — he lives in this disinformation space.”
In a Truth Social post Wednesday morning, Trump warned that Zelenskyy “better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left.”
Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, arrived in Kyiv on Wednesday for talks with Zelenskyy and other Ukrainian government officials. Zelenskyy said he wants Kellogg to bring Trump a realistic picture of Ukraine, based on facts.
“I want him to look around, I want him to talk to people,” Zelenskyy said in Wednesday’s press conference. “Do they trust their president? Do they trust Putin? Let [Kellogg] ask about Trump. I think this is important. Just go and talk to people.”
NPR Producer Hanna Palamarenko contributed to this report from Kyiv.
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